Become a UN Volunteer

Choose the place you want to volunteer

Below are special calls for assignments currently in demand. We only advertise positions here when seeking applicants for a specific area of professional expertise and/or for projects that require larger numbers of UN Volunteers.
In order to be considered for these special calls, you must first register your profile in the UNV Global Talent Pool. Each of these special calls has a unique code which you must directly select from your profile page.

You can find this code and application instructions in the last paragraph of the description of assignment, available once you click in the boxes below. Please note that this is not a complete list of all current UN Volunteer opportunities. The majority of assignments are filled by candidates whose profiles are matched directly from our Global Talent Pool. Less often, opportunities to volunteer online are also advertised here.

When large-scale emergencies like the 2014 Ebola outbreak, the 2016 Ecuador earthquake or the current Syrian refugee crisis occur, a coordinated rapid response is critical in ensuring that the UN system can cope with the demands. With that in mind, UNV is re-building its rapid response capacity in the following 5 areas: Protection, Information Management, Logistics, Water and Sanitation and Monitoring and Evaluation.

UNV strives to deploy volunteers within 4-6 weeks after initial contact with the candidate.

Who can I contact if I have a question that isn’t answered here?

Please write to: roster@unv.org for any further questions you may have.

Do international UN Volunteers receive any financial and/or other benefits?

The key benefit of being a UN Volunteer is the personal satisfaction the volunteer assignment brings you as you make a positive impact on peace and development. However, UNV supports you during your assignment in several ways, e.g. through a monthly volunteer living allowance, annual leave, and medical insurance. For more details, please refer the Conditions of Service for international UN Volunteers.

How long are UN Volunteer assignments?

The vast majority of assignments are based on six to twelve month renewable contracts with the expectation that the UN Volunteer will serve a year or more. Maximum length of service is four years. Please refer to the Conditions of Service for international UN Volunteers for more details.

How can I become a UN Volunteer for an assignment abroad?

You need to register your profile in the UNV talent pool, here. The registration process takes about 45 minutes to complete and consists of two parts.

Part 1: Familiarize yourself with essential information for potential UN Volunteers and submit basic information to create your account in the UNV candidate pool. You will automatically receive a message asking you to verify your email address. By clicking on the link provided in the automated message, you activate your UNV account.

Part 2: After the successful activation of your UNV account, you will receive a second message with a link to ‘MyProfile’. Here you need to enter all the required details regarding your skills, educational qualifications and experience. Click on the “Submit My Profile” tab to complete the registration process.

As confirmation of your successful registration, you will receive a third message with your registration number and other practical information for potential candidates. Your UNV profile will only be considered for upcoming volunteer assignments after completion of this second part of the registration process.